My 2023 Perpetual Grow - Organic, Partial SIP

CannabisMan420 · Jan 14, 2023

Welcome to my 2023 perpetual grow Journal!

To get started, I'm an OK grower I guess, have learned a lot here over the past year, and hope to continue improving my yields and potency over the coming year. My biggest harvest so far was 12 ounces, and this year I am hoping to grow my first 1lb plant.

I started off one OG Kush plant in a SIP bucket, since I've grown this strain many times and know how it grows. So far I have bigger growth, more crystals, and it looks very strong and healthy going into late flower.

Overview:
Lighting: 600W HPS (Flower), 100W LED (Veg)
Area:4x4 tent (Flower), 3x2 (veg)
Medium: Organic soil + compost, 1 SIP pot the others are just 5 Gal buckets
Seeds: https://montrealcannabis-seeds.ca/
- OG Kush: Have been growing this strain for some time now. Very crystally, strong high, low scent
- Fruity Pebbles OG v2.0: On my second seed of this strain, the first seed produced buds with nice flavor and aroma, not quite as strong as the OGK, but very nice to smoke once cured properly.
- Bluberry Kush X AK47: On my 4th seed. This was a freebie and the last plant produced 3/4lb of bud. It is fairly potent too.
- Gorilla Glue: Love this strain, but the genetics don't seem quite as strong as they used to be. Have been growing more OG Kush instead but giving it another run.
- More to come...

Nutes: Botanicare Pure Blend Pro (Flower), Alaska Fish Fertilizer (Veg)
Techniques: SIP and Quad-Lining

Current Plants:
In flower, on the left we have the OG Kush seed#14 in a SIP bucket. I can't say enough about the trichomes growth here, it is pretty crazy. Even many of the big leaves have these huge trichs sticking out. She is a bit taller than my other plant, the Fruity Pebbles OG v2.0 on the right. I'm gonna give the FP another week to finish up, although I could probably harvest her tomorrow and be happy with it, she doesn't quite seem finished.

OGK#14&FPOGv2Jan14_2023.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Jan 14, 2023

Here are some closer shots of the OG Kush plant in SIP bucket.

OGK#14Day94Day50FLR.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Jan 14, 2023

OGK#14Day94Day50FLRBud.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Jan 14, 2023

Some pics of the FPv2.0:

FPv2-Day105Day69FLR.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Jan 14, 2023

FPv2-Day105Day69FLRBud.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Jan 14, 2023
1

Just the flowering plants for today, I'll maybe get some shots of the BBKxAK47 plant I have in veg next week or two. The GG seed I've popped has just cracked open and will be going into soil the next few days.

garybo · Jan 14, 2023

@CannabisMan420 , good luck with getting that 1lb prize, that would be something to "crow" about for sure.
Those plants are full of nuggets, thanks for sharing.

CannabisMan420 · Jan 21, 2023

Thanks @garybo !

Its Saturday! :ganjamon:

!

Gorilla Glue:
First up today we have the Gorilla Glue seed #18 just getting started at 4 days out of soil.

GG#18Day5.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Jan 21, 2023

BlueBerry Kush x AK47:
2nd up today, we have the Blueberry Kush in veg at an even 50 days old.
She got a bit stunted at the beginning of veg due to my own stupidity, so I think she
is about a week behind schedule as far as growth goes. There is a ton of branching going
on and the internode spacing is getting shorter and shorter as she grows. I've noticed
this with training plants this way, it seems to be just what they do.
She is drinking 2.5L of water every 2 or 3 days now under a 100w LED panel. She was a bit
too close to the light, so the middle leaves are a bit discolored.

You can see in the pictures I've been training all the branches sideways and keeping
them tucked under the leaves, using the leaves to suppress their growth and maintain
a low growing plant. Going into the 2nd week of flower, I will see how she stretches and
do some light defoliation as well as tucking the leaves in, so the tops of the branches
get all the light. My strategy here is to suppress the branching so I can keep the main
branches low before she explodes upwards and I have no room left to train.

BBKxAK47#4Day50.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Jan 21, 2023

BBKxAK47#4Day50Side.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Jan 21, 2023

OG Kush seed #14 (SIP bucket):
Next is the OG Kush seed #14 filling up with buds and crystals as OG Kush will do.
She has been drinking about 2L/day and I've been feeding her just water + phDown for
the last week, trying to get her to start yellowing up and going purple. It seems you
need to start doing this early to get the plants to look finished with the soil + compost
mix I'm using. I have to say, this SIP growing is super nice. It gives a nice buffer of time
where you don't have to water your plants, instead of having to check them every day,
and the benefits seem to be obvious. The biggest buds here are about as big as the biggest
FPOG buds and this one ain't finished! Props to @Azimuth for the tips and info!

Fruity Pebbles OG v2.0 seed #2:
Lastly we have the FPOG, pretty much finished up with flowering, I will chop her tommorrow
then let her hang as a whole plant for 5 or 6 days. My drying room is at 17-18C and
30% humidity, so not quite as humid as I'd like, but it is the middle of winter. Then I will put
her into jars and keep the lids off for about a day or two depending on moisture content, then
continue burping them until they are ready for consumption.
The smell is reminiscent of the last one I grew, very fruity and dank.

FPv2-Day112Day76FLR.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Jan 21, 2023

FPv2-Day112Day76FLRBud.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Jan 21, 2023

The flowering room:

OGK#14&FPOGv2Jan21_2023.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Jan 21, 2023

That's all I got for this week. Cheers!

garybo · Jan 21, 2023

CannabisMan420 said:
That's all I got for this week. Cheers!

"Thats all you got"?

CM, that is a lot. I would give my first born kitten for that group of ladies. Serioursly, you have outdone yourself...again.

Take care my friend and thanks for posting pic's of those lovelies.

CannabisMan420 · Jan 28, 2023

I'll take that kitten! Poor kitty lol.

Things are sure looking green today. Will be lots of nice colors to look at in this post.

Gorilla Glue seed #18:
Coming along nicely, she is looking a little bit yellowish, but I have her very close to a 40w LED that
I use for early veg. She seems to be loving it, usually if it is too close they get a bit purple in the
new growth, but this plant seems to be taking it well. According to my research, hemp plants can take
ridiculous amounts of light right from early veg so thats what I give em, and I like to keep them short
and fat too. She has had 11 full days out of soil, putting her on day 12 of veg.

GG#18Day12_Side.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Jan 28, 2023

GG#18Day12.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Jan 28, 2023

Blueberry Kush x AK47 seed #4:
Pulling in at 57 days old, day 8 Flowering is the BBKxAK47. I did some defoliation, tucking and training earlier
in the week, and noticed a lot of the leave tips on the branches got emaciated a bit from being under the
big leaves, I think because of not enough airflow and sweating from the big leaves. In any case, they seem to
be pulling through it and spreading out nicely now. I will probably have to do some more tucking and defoliation
to make sure the canopy stays nice and even and all the bud sites are getting light. I'm counting over 30 tops here, which is what I was shooting for. Big difference from last weeks pic.

BBKxAK47#4Day57_Day8FLR.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Jan 28, 2023

OG Kush seed #14 (SIP Bucket test):
At a solid 108 days old and day 64 flower, the OGK plant is purpling up nicely. Looking like she has another week or two left in her, she is also yellowing up quite a bit on the bottom leaves, which can be seen in the last pic I'll post. In these pics you can see the purpling nicely, and the contrast in colors between the OGK plant and the early flowering BBKxAK47. I wish I would have worked harder to spread her out a bit more, but she was pulling hard against the training once she got into flower. I've been feeding her just water for a long time now, and she is finally starting to show colors. Really looking forward to seeing how this one finishes.

OGK#14Day108Day64FLR.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Jan 28, 2023

OGK#14Day108Day64FLRBud.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Jan 28, 2023

OGK#14Day108Day64FLRBud2.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Jan 28, 2023

And finally, a shot of the flowering area:

OGK#14&BBKxAK47Jan28_2023.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Jan 28, 2023

That's the roundup for this week, my Fruity Pebbles OG v2.0 plant hasn't finished drying yet as I had expected, so I will be chopping her up probably starting tonight and will update on the results of the harvest once complete.

CannabisMan420 · Jan 28, 2023

As promised, the results of the FPOGv2.0 plant!

The bowl I weighed it in is 651grams, and the extra weight is shown in the photo:

Final_Bowlis651grams.jpg

CannabisMan420
Jan 28, 2023
1

Here is some progressively closer shots of the trichomes. They're pretty much all cloudy or amber:

Crystals1.jpg

CannabisMan420
Jan 28, 2023

Crystals2.jpg

CannabisMan420
Jan 28, 2023

Crystals3.jpg

CannabisMan420
Jan 28, 2023

Crystals4.jpg

CannabisMan420
Jan 28, 2023

So a total of 6 ounces or 168grams from that little plant. Can't wait for this stuff to cure. Smells very nice.

Cheers! :Rasta:

CannabisMan420 · Feb 4, 2023

Another week and some exciting new growth going on!

Gorilla Glue seed #18 after 18 full days of growth, out of soil. She was topped on day 13 of veg and is set up for more quad-lining. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this technique a bit better, so this plant should hopefully come out pretty nice. One of the leaf tips is yellowing a bit, so I think she could use a bit of N, but I've been feeding her just water mostly, letting the soil do its work.

GG#18Day19_Side.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 4, 2023

GG#18Day19.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 4, 2023

BlueBerry Kush x AK47 seed #4 at day 65 total, 14 full days of flower/since flip. She isn't stretching quite as much as I'd expected, but there are about 40 tops growing out of the main 4 branches. She is kind of a mess in these pictures, I will need to do some more defoliation, training and tucking of leaves to keep all the tops as even as I can. The canopy is fairly even right now, but she might get a bit out of hand as she finishes stretching. I am feeding her 2.5L/day of water/nutes and coming back to find her completely dry. I'll see if she needs more as she gets into flower.

BBKxAK47#4Day64_Day15FLR-Side.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 4, 2023

BBKxAK47#4Day64_Day15FLR.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 4, 2023

OG Kush seed #14 coming in at 115 days old, she has had an even 70 days of flowering and is still finishing up. I'm really liking the purples. There seems to be about 4-5°C difference between night/day at the top of the tent, but I guess that is enough to bring out the purple in this plant. This one is only going through about 1L of water a day, so I will probably start letting the SIP bucket dry out and slow down the feeding until she is finished over the next week or two.

OGK#14Day115Day71FLR.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 4, 2023

OGK#14Day115Day71FLR-Bud.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 4, 2023

Flowering Area:
You can see the results of my quad-lining tests are getting better. I'm glad I picked up on this since it definitely has increased my harvest sizes. The BBKxAK47 on the right is quite a bit smaller than the OGK on the left, but it is sucking up more water/day than the OGK ever did. I believe this is because of the more even canopy and better quad-lining technique as well as genetics of course. OGK is quality over quantity.

OGK#14&BBKxAK47Feb4_2023.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 4, 2023

Up next is Gelato, will be seed #6. The first and only seed that popped for me previously became an awesome finisher, growing out of control and producing lots of bud under less than ideal conditions. The bud itself was the main feature, unique in its terpene profile and quite different from other strains that I've grown. Hoping this next seed comes up similar.

gazmufc · Feb 8, 2023

Hey
Good job man. I'm starting my first sips run in about a week. Running forbidden runtz auto with LOS soil. Defo gonna take a seat here for this grow to see how it go's. Would u recommend I plant directly with the auto into 5g bucket, or do solo cup? If I go direct il pot in a small amount of seedling soil so I don't burn her.

CannabisMan420 · Feb 8, 2023

Thanks @gazmufc !

With my first SIP plant here, I planted directly into the big bucket, but there was some slight issues with the plant looking overwatered. It seemed to grow fine and put on weight accordingly, but it did look overwatered for the first few weeks at least.

For my next attempt in a SIP bucket, I am planning on keeping the reservoir low or empty for the first few weeks, then up the water level as the plant can handle it. I've had good luck planting directly into the final pot, and bad luck with re-potting. Some plants grow good roots in 2 weeks and can be easily repotted, some have smaller root systems and don't grow as dense, which makes repotting difficult. It seems about a 50% chance I'll repot without stunting the plant for a week, so I decided to just plant directly into the big pots, and I've had good success with it.

So far its looking like I'll have one of my biggest OG Kush harvests yet, due to the new SIP bucket!

gazmufc · Feb 8, 2023

CannabisMan420 said:
Thanks @gazmufc !

With my first SIP plant here, I planted directly into the big bucket, but there was some slight issues with the plant looking overwatered. It seemed to grow fine and put on weight accordingly, but it did look overwatered for the first few weeks at least.

For my next attempt in a SIP bucket, I am planning on keeping the reservoir low or empty for the first few weeks, then up the water level as the plant can handle it. I've had good luck planting directly into the final pot, and bad luck with re-potting. Some plants grow good roots in 2 weeks and can be easily repotted, some have smaller root systems and don't grow as dense, which makes repotting difficult. It seems about a 50% chance I'll repot without stunting the plant for a week, so I decided to just plant directly into the big pots, and I've had good success with it.

So far its looking like I'll have one of my biggest OG Kush harvests yet, due to the new SIP bucket!

That's nice, and congratulations on the Og kush success, happy days

I'm on day 9 of drying my 2 harvest 1st run didn't go well. Messed up the dry and had hay!

I've made sure this time to keep better climate.

I've managed to keep the rh between 60/57 and temp 16/19c.. Been smoking some larf and I'm happy as so far. Looking forward now to trying sips. Defo gonna direct plant now. Il put in a scoop of seeding soup and hopefully it will be OK by time it reaches out into the hot soil. I've been cooking the re amended soil a week now. The runtz auto is only 8 week's till harvest and is hardy, apparently. We will find out lol..

CannabisMan420 · Feb 11, 2023

Harvest Day!

First up today is Gelato seed #6 after 5 full days of growth (day 6). I could have waited a few more days and done this one in the SIP pot, but I didn't want to wait until harvesting the OGK seed #14 because I didn't know how long it would take to finish. You can see some purpling in the new growth. This seems to be due to light stress, so I've moved the light slightly further away from the plant.

Gelato#6Day6.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 11, 2023

Next up is Gorilla Glue seed #18 checking in at 25 full days of growth and looking nice! She is taking well to training and producing some bigger branches, so I will probably have to work a bit to train this one properly.

GG#18Day26Side.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 11, 2023

GG#18Day26.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 11, 2023

Next up is Blueberry Kush x AK47 seed #4 after 71 days of growth, 21 full days of 12/12. I've had to do more defoliation on this plant than any other plant I've grown and probably will have to do a bit more as she gets into full flowering mode now. She has continued to go through 2.6L of water/day with the pots being completely dry at the bottoms after a full 24hrs. Even though she has remained a relatively short plant, she is wide and the canopy is pretty even, so there is still some potential here for a nice harvest.

BBKxAK47#4Day71_Day22FLRSide.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 11, 2023
1

BBKxAK47#4Day71_Day22FLR.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 11, 2023

Lastly, the OG Kush seed #14, getting the chop today. I thought I would get some last pictures before I take her down. I haven't put any water into the reservoir for like 5 or 6 days now, trying to get her to finish. The trichs on the foxtails are not quite done, but the main buds are ready to go. As usual I'll leave her to hang as a full plant for 7-10 days and start trimming, then into jars with the tops off for up to 24-48hrs and burp till ready to cure long-term.

OGK#14Day122Day78FLR.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 11, 2023

OGK#14Day122Day78FLR-Bud.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 11, 2023

Flowering Area:
I will probably stop growing so much OGK now since I've got a few different flavors of it and focus on trying some new strains and of course the Gelato with the unique terpene profile. I just tried out some older Gelato, were talking 6 or 7 months cured, and it is still very very nice. I'm learning to appreciate the older weeds that have cured for a few months, since they smoke so much cleaner than fresh stuff.

OGK#14&BBKxAK47Feb11_2023.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 11, 2023

Azimuth · Feb 11, 2023

Hey @CannabisMan420 , looking good. I found my way over from your post in SIP Club. Thanks for the update over there.

If you've got room, I'd like to follow along. Can't believe I missed the start.

Azimuth · Feb 11, 2023

CannabisMan420 said:
Lastly, the OG Kush seed #14, getting the chop today. I thought I would get some last pictures before I take her down. I haven't put any water into the reservoir for like 5 or 6 days now, trying to get her to finish. The trichs on the foxtails are not quite done, but the main buds are ready to go. As usual I'll leave her to hang as a full plant for 7-10 days and start trimming, then into jars with the tops off for up to 24-48hrs and burp till ready to cure long-term.

Ever think about Droughting?

CannabisMan420 · Feb 11, 2023

Azimuth said:
Ever think about Droughting?

Welcome @Azimuth . I think that's kind of what I've done here. I remember learning about this from way back in the day, there were some weed growing videos where the seedbank was showing the results of their grows, and was suggesting letting the soil really go dry intermittently while the plant is flowering, (getting a lot of oxygen to the roots they said) to force it to finish up faster and increase the production of terps etc. It seems with these SIPS, the oxygen part is pretty much handled with the airflow from the bottom, so all that's left is to give 'em a good dry-out at the end of flowering.

Still not 100% sure myself this isn't just more "bro-science" but I like to do it because it helps dry out the plants a bit prior to chopping, and it does seem to help them finish a bit faster. Sure wish I had the ability to really test out the theory scientifically.

Azimuth · Feb 11, 2023

In the linked thread there is a study that's referenced showing a material increase in cannabinoid levels of droughted plants. It's a pretty long thread now, but there's some good info in it.

CannabisMan420 · Feb 18, 2023

So after thinking it out and looking at some more info, @Azimuth all of your other advice has been pretty solid, so I'll have to play around with droughting more. I've at least doubled my yields using quad-lining and SIP!

First up today is the newly sprouted Wedding Cake seed #1 on her 3rd day of growth out of soil. I got a bit carried away with the arrival of some new seeds, so I am back up to 4 plants again. Was planning on only having 3 going at a time, but this should work out OK. And what is that? Is that a SIP bucket? Well yes it is... this one should be good. I moistened the soil, but am keeping the SIP empty until the plant gets a bit older, since overwatering seemed to be a problem on my first SIP plant for the first few weeks.

WedCake#1Day3.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 18, 2023

Next up is the Gelato seed #6 This is the first seed in the pack and it sprouted right away, so it looks like these are more viable seeds than the last pack. At 12 days old she is a bit small maybe and a bit yellow. I've fed her some more veg feed and moved the light away a bit to see if she comes back and greens up a bit.

Gelato#6Day13.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 18, 2023

Next up is Gorilla Glue seed #18. Haven't grown this strain in a while, but this plant is branching pretty strong. The leaves aren't quite as wide and thick as the BBKxAK47 so the inner branches are getting more light and growing out more. This plant should take a bit of a different shape.

GG#18Day33.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 18, 2023

GG#18Day33Side.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 18, 2023

Lastly is the Blueberry Kush X AK47. The last seed of this strain was quite a grower and this one is not too much different. She is already putting off a nice fruity/crystally scent and starting to get into that stage of growing where she starts putting on some bud weight. I'm feeding about 2.5-3L/day of full strength flower feed, and on the odd occasion a bit more if she seems dry. In the bud pic you can really see the amount of crystals spread out on the leaves etc, not huge like the OGK, but a lot of em.

BBKxAK47#4Day78_Day29FLR.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 18, 2023

BBKxAK47#4Day78_Day29FLRSide.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 18, 2023

BBKxAK47#4Day78_Day29FLRSide2.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 18, 2023

BBKxAK47#4Day78_Day29FLRBud.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 18, 2023

Next up will be OG Kush X Fruity Pebbles or "Fruity OG Kush" that I got as a freebie. Can't wait to see how that one comes out, I've found some of the strains I really like as freebies, and always like to try out new flavors.

Peace, :yummy:

Azimuth · Feb 18, 2023

CannabisMan420 said:
So after thinking it out and looking at some more info, @Azimuth all of your other advice has been pretty solid, so I'll have to play around with droughting more. I've at least doubled my yields using quad-lining and SIP!

That's great to hear. Those two techniques are so simple and easy and really boost yields. Glad it's working for you too!

The droughting won't increase your yields, but will increase the potency of what you do have. If you have a jeweler's loop you can watch the trichomes elongate and then fall and twist all over each other. @Krissi Carbone calls it corraling since it starts looking like corral beds in the ocean.

Just another tool to help max out your harvest with minimal effort, so why not take advantage, right?

CannabisMan420 said:
And what is that? Is that a SIP bucket? Well yes it is... this one should be good. I moistened the soil, but am keeping the SIP empty until the plant gets a bit older, since overwatering seemed to be a problem on my first SIP plant for the first few weeks.

I get around that by treating small plants more like normal ones with minimal water in the reservoir until I start to see some good growth which tells me the roots are well established. Sounds like you're on the same track.

CannabisMan420 · Feb 18, 2023

I almost forgot about harvest! Here are the results from the OGK seed #14, just trimmed and jarred her today:

OGK#14Harvest.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 18, 2023
1

OGK#14BudFinal.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 18, 2023

OGK#14Crystals1.jpg

CannabisMan420
Feb 18, 2023

OGK#14Crystals2.jpg

CannabisMan420
Feb 18, 2023

OGK#14Crystals3.jpg

CannabisMan420
Feb 18, 2023

OGK#14Crystals4.jpg

CannabisMan420
Feb 18, 2023

OGK#14Crystals5.jpg

CannabisMan420
Feb 18, 2023

The crystals look a bit odd, they seem clear, but many 'clear' trichomes have spots of amber in them.

That's 170g or 6.07oz from this plant! This is one of my biggest OGK harvests so far, and probably would have been much bigger given better training and a bit longer veg time. In any case I've got lots more top shelf OG Kush to delve into and enjoy. I'll call this SIP experiment a big success.

Azimuth · Feb 18, 2023

CannabisMan420 said:
I'll call this SIP experiment a big success.

SIP for the win! :goodjob:

CannabisMan420 · Feb 25, 2023

Another Saturday! Not too much excitement lately, just growing away here.

First up is the Wedding Cake seed #1 at 9 days old and looking a little small. Seems to be healthy etc. but just a little small. She is in a SIP, but I am only top watering and keeping the reservoir empty for now.

WedCake#1Day10.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 25, 2023

Second we have the Gelato seed #6 looking nice and green this week. She was topped after 13 days veg and is now set up for quad-lining.

Gelato#6Day20.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 25, 2023

Third is the Gorilla Glue seed #18 at 39 days old and damn! Lots of strong branching going on. I've had to put some work into training her because the leaves aren't big enough to suppress the branching really, so she is going wild. I'll put her into 12/12 today, not expecting a really big plant in the end, but it should be nice enough.

GG#18Day40.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 25, 2023

GG#18Day40Side.jpeg

CannabisMan420
Feb 25, 2023

Lastly in flowering we have the Blueberry Kush x AK47 and she is going strong at 35 full days in flower. I expect another 5 weeks or so of growth. I've been feeding just over 3L of water/day.